Pool owners have embraced Poolwerx’s April Pools Day campaign, signing up for free online CPR course that could help them save a life.
John O’Brien, CEO and Founder of Poolwerx is continuing to encourage pool owners to take advantage of the free offer, which is available until the end of April.
“Our research showed us that 75 per cent of parents admitted they were not confident they had the CPR skills to save a life[1],” Mr O’Brien said. “That’s why we teamed with Australian Red Cross and Laurie Lawrence’s Kids Alive program to make it simple, fast and free to get CPR training.”
With almost half of drowning deaths in children under five occurring in swimming pools[2], Mr O’Brien said it was important that parents were equipped with the skills that could save the life of their child or a child in their care.
“April Pools Day is a key component of our annual water safety campaign and Poolwerx is continuing to make a difference with campaigns like this, which address key industry safety issues,” he said. “The campaign gives us the opportunity to bring the brand together, as the Franchisor and Franchise Partners join forces to make a difference in the community.”
Mr O’Brien said Franchise Partners were getting behind the campaign, now in its third year, encouraging their clients to come into their local Poolwerx store to redeem the codeword to sign up for the course online.
“Water safety is a key focus for Franchise Partners, through campaigns like this and our annual Learn2Swim Week,” he said. “It’s also something they address on a daily basis, advising clients how to ensure their pool or spa surrounds are safe and compliant with local regulations.”
Laurie Lawrence, Founder of Kids Alive and advocate of April Pools Day said anything that would help reduce drowning statistics and improve pool safety in Australia was worth getting behind.
“Last year drowning deaths in children under five increased by 32 per cent[3] and we all have a role to play to help reduce this tragic statistic,” he said. “April Pools Day speaks to our fifth important step to reduce the risk of preschool drowning and that is ‘Learn how to resuscitate’. It is absolutely vital parents have this skill, as a child is four times more likely to survive if given CPR.”
Australian Red Cross First Aid Trainer Janie McCullagh said that almost 30 per cent of parents surveyed by Poolwerx believed they did not need to obtain CPR training as their partner knew how to perform CPR.
“Children can get into trouble in the water anywhere and at any time and that’s why it’s so important for all parents to be confident that they could perform CPR in an emergency,” she said. “The Australian Red Cross online CPR training program gives people the opportunity to update their knowledge of CPR and they can then pay to complete a short practical course to obtain their full CPR certificate.”
For more information visit aprilpoolsday.com.au
For more information about Australian Red Cross: redcross.org.au
[1] Research conducted by PureProfile on behalf of Poolwerx 300 sample
[2] www.royallifesaving.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/20260/RLS_NDR2017_ReportLR.pdf
[3] www.royallifesaving.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/20260/RLS_NDR2017_ReportLR.pdf